Mothers and the magic of number 5

Many children can't survive past the age of 5 without a mother figure. And sadly, every day 18,000 children don't.

But many of these deaths are preventable … so we can do something about it! Stand with us this week and support child and maternal health.

Blogger Paige Ferrari explains how.

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Five is a magic number.

When a child is born, the first thing the parents do is check: 5 fingers on each hand. 5 toes on each foot. For some reason there is such perfection within the number 5.

Unfortunately, every day 18,000 children around the world will die before seeing their fifth birthday and 800 women will loose their life in childbirth daily. This bond between mother and child is something that can only be divinely created. But like all things that grow, it must be nourished and sustained.

The magic number is 5. Adequate nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, disease prevention, healthy moms and babies, and lastly local advocacy will all help these children reach their fifth birthday and give their mothers an opportunity to have this irreplaceable relationship.

I love my mom. She is my rock and my hero, and these simple words hardly do it justice. We have been through a lot of hard times, but the beauty of this mother/daughter relationship is that the good times that we’ve shared overpower the bad.

Some people think it odd how close we are with each other, but it was never weird for me. Being completely honest and open with my mom was something that I grew up learning how to do. The dreaded phrase of “you sound like mom” was never one to grimace at for me. It was one that I valued because it meant that my words were filled with wisdom and love like hers always are.

I was a child that grew up in a home that was hit by divorce. But the thing was, my mom was always there to nurture me, to help me, to protect me, to be there for me.

This isn’t true for all children.

My memories before my fifth birthday aren’t all there, but now I have the privilege of pictures demonstrating for me the joy and uniqueness of a mother and her daughter.

I love this picture of my mom and me at the beach. I was about two and a half and we both are laughing and smiling wide. That is a thing that my mom and I have always had in common: our huge smiles and boisterous laughs.

My memories with my mother are something that I will always hold dear. I was extremely blessed to have her as a constant in my life.

However, no child can make it to that magic number of 5 without a mother. And poverty should never be the deciding factor for any relationship, especially one of such uniqueness as that of a mother and child.

So throughout this week, in preparation for Mother’s Day on May 11, take a moment to reflect on how great moms are! Because they are completely awesome! Take some time to read through how you can be an advocate for mothers and children everywhere who want that same relationship with each other.

This week, show your support for mothers and and help children live past the age of 5! Find a photo of yourself with your mom when you were young and Tweet it with the hashtag #momandme before May 8th. We’ll share these photos at the Congressional Prayer Breakfast in D.C. on May 21st. Learn more about our Global Week of Action.